Date/Time
Date(s) - 18/11/2023
12:00 am - 10:00 pm
Location
Orillia Opera House
Categories No Categories
Mariposa Folk Festival wanted to celebrate their 60th Anniversary, and asked renowned producer/artist Lance Anderson to come up with something special to mark the occasion, And that he did! His talented group kicked off the 2023 Mariposa Folk Festival, and ‘BY POPULAR DEMAND’ we are bringing them back to the Orillia Opera House.
Lance has been producing the popular ‘An Evening of Blues and Gospel’ for the festival for 10 years and is co-leader/producer of the critically acclaimed 12 piece band MATCHEDASH PARISH.
“When I imagined all the iconic music that graced the stages of Mariposa over its history, I realized a 10 song retrospective slot would not do justice to the legacy of this incredibly important event. Some of the most iconic music of the last 60 years was first performed at Mariposa. I felt playing 60 songs in 60 minutes would give a wider perspective of the cultural heritage that the Mariposa Folk Festival has provided and nurtured for 60 years.” (Anderson)
For our Orillia Opera House performance we will have ’90’ minutes and the ability to play some songs all the way through, which was a wish from those that saw the concert. We will play a ‘Redux’ version of the concert, with 60 songs in 90 minutes.
Anderson will regroup his all-star cast of performers to take on this challenging task once again. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist extraordinaire Matt Weidinger, gospel and soul sensation Quisha Wint, the fabulous Selena Evangeline on guitar and vocals plus a band of some of the most versatile musicians in Canada including ethnomusicologist Dr. Mike Daley (guitar, mandolin, vocals), Wayne Deadder (guitar and vocals) Russ Boswell (bass) Bucky Berger (drums) will anchor this ensemble with musical director Anderson at the helm.
The accumulated wealth of artistic contributions by the past festival performers should inspire the new generations of artists who will be performing at next year’s festival. When a young Joni Anderson first performed at Mariposa in 1965, she was unknown and didn’t perform under her famous name. Today, legions of Joni Mitchell fans, would give anything to have been there. The same will happen this year, as it does every year. That is the goal of this celebration, to show that EVERY year in the past 60 had performances that made history and whose artists went on to international success and are revered. Their songs became the signposts of our lives. In fact 60 is not enough! It has been excruciating to narrow this abundance of gifted artists down to 60 songs.
The concert will cover the many genres that have been a part of the Mariposa experience. Folk and singer songwriters but also blues, gospel, vocal groups, alt. country, roots and traditional music from many cultures. The emphasis will be on the Canadian artists and icons but will not be limited to any borders.
It will not be a medley of songs, but a linear display and reminder of the historic significance of the Mariposa Folk Festival. The songs will not be recreated but will be interpreted by the performers to continue the creative evolution of the art of songwriting.
Lance Anderson’s musical connections run deep in the industry and he always assembles a stellar group of artists.